Family Time: Cloth vs. disposable: Moms switching back to cloth

Wednesday

Jan 27, 2010 at 12:01 AMJan 27, 2010 at 1:32 PM

Weekly family rail, with tips on cloth diapers, a review of “Tooth Fairy” and more.

Tip of the Week

Why isn't cloth diapering more mainstream?

Kelly Wels, the owner of KellysCloset.com, says that many new moms aren't properly educated about how easy cloth diapering can be, as even saying the word "cloth diapers" to a new mom conjures up images of work, laundry and stinky poop.

Mom Allie Schellhammer agrees, "From the time you give birth in the hospital, you're inundated with information and coupons for disposable diaper brands. If you don't plug yourself into the cloth diapering community and do your due diligence, disposables seem like the best and only option."

Julia Wreyford is another mom who says her diapering ways have been reformed. After using disposables for the first six months of 10-month-old son Asher's life, she became so discouraged at how much money her family was wasting.

"I wanted to stay home with my son full-time, but that meant our budget would have to be slashed. I learned that cloth diapering could save us approximately $40 per month," says Wreyford.

Wreyford admits that while costs go down, the laundry cycle goes up.

"It's a process, but once I figured out the best washing routine, I was hooked," Schellhammer says. "I don't miss the smell and the chore of taking out the dirty diaper pail. Living in a small condominium complex, I always felt guilty about our smelly diaper garbage as it was shared with our neighbors. Now I wash them every few days and there's no waste and no icky smells."

- ARA

Family Screening Room

“Tooth Fairy”

Rated: PG (for mild language, some rude humor and sports action)

Length: 101 minutes

Synopsis: Derek Thompson is “The Tooth Fairy,” a hard-charging minor league hockey player whose nickname comes from his habit of separating opposing players from their bicuspids. When Derek discourages a youngster's hopes, he's sentenced to one week's hard labor as a real tooth fairy, complete with the requisite tutu, wings and magic wand. At first, Derek "can't handle the tooth" – bumbling and stumbling as he tries to furtively wing his way through strangers' homes. But as Derek slowly adapts to his new position, he begins to rediscover his own forgotten dreams.

Violence/scary rating: 2.5

Sexual-content rating: 1.5

Profanity rating: 1.5

Drugs/alcohol rating: 1.5

Family Time rating: 2. This is a film that’s good for the most of the family, and it’s on the tamer side of its PG rating.

(Ratings are judged on a five-point scale, with 5 being “bad for kids” and 1 being “fine for kids.”)

Book Report

“The Lion and the Mouse,” by Jerry Pinkney

Ages: 3-6

Pages: 40

Synopsis: In award-winning artist Jerry Pinkney's wordless adaptation of one of Aesop's most beloved fables, an unlikely pair learn that no act of kindness is ever wasted. After a ferocious lion spares a cowering mouse that he'd planned to eat, the mouse later comes to his rescue, freeing him from a poacher's trap. With vivid depictions of the landscape of the African Serengeti and expressively drawn characters, Pinkney makes this a truly special retelling, and his stunning pictures speak volumes.

Did You Know

In 2007, 20 percent of 10th-graders reported heavy drinking, while it declined to 16 percent in 2008, according to www.childstats.gov.

GateHouse News Service

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